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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24700531">tlk oneshots</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cocchamscrew/pseuds/cocchamscrew'>cocchamscrew</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Last Kingdom (TV), The Warrior Chronicles | The Saxon Stories - Bernard Cornwell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:40:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,402</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24700531</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cocchamscrew/pseuds/cocchamscrew</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>a bunch of tlk oneshots ive written! they'll be updated each time i write a new one :))</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Finan (The Last Kingdom)/Original Character(s), Finan (The Last Kingdom)/Original Female Character(s), Osferth (c. 885-934)/Original Character(s), Sihtric (The Last Kingdom)/Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. osferth x reader</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>[Y/N] had been travelling with Uhtred and his men for around a year now. She felt they were more of a family than simply a ragtag band of warriors or even friends, and was positive they all felt the same. Until the addition of [Y/N], Osferth had been the youngest of the group. Because they were closest in age, [Y/N] felt closest to him, though the other two men, Finan and Sihtric, were like older brothers to her. She could not have found a happier place to be anywhere else.</p><p>Now that Uhtred was reunited with his two children, Young Uhtred and Stiorra, they accompanied the group, along with a young woman named Eadith who [Y/N] suspected Finan was growing feelings for. Aelfwynn, the daughter of Lady Aethelflaed, and Aethelstan, the bastard son of King Edward, also joined them. As such, they all felt a responsibility to care for the two, neither of whom were over the age of ten. [Y/N] knew that both Aelfwynn and Aethelstan were niece and nephew to Osferth, which perhaps explained his care of them being slightly more than just an obligation.</p><p>They had been travelling for a few days now, and it had been Osferth's suggestion to stop and rest for a while, as the children were growing exhausted. Aelfwynn in particular had weakened, and it was clear that she would only get worse if they didn't stop. So they did, and Osferth quickly took over Aelfwynn's care.</p><p>[Y/N] was sitting next to Finan, who was playing games with Aethelstan, on the bank of a stream, when her gaze drifted across and opposite the stream. She watched Osferth sit down next to Aelfwynn and pass her his water skin, the fond smile on his face bringing one to [Y/N's] own face too.</p><p>"If you need anything, just tell me, alright?" she heard him tell his niece gently.</p><p>"Thank you, Osferth," Aelfwynn smiled, handing the water back and promptly preoccupying herself with the stones around her.</p><p>[Y/N] decided she would join them and stood up, ruffling Aethelstan's hair as she did so. Neither he nor Finan really noticed, now engrossed in blowing a little boat fashioned from leaves and twigs down the stream. She carefully made her way down and around to the other side, before sitting down next to Osferth. "She's lovely, isn't she?" [Y/N] said. Osferth smiled.</p><p>"Yeah," he said. "It's nice, having children around. I never knew Finan could be so gentle."</p><p>[Y/N] laughed. "I think that was a surprise for all of us," she said, "although I figured you would be a natural with them. I always forget you're their uncle."</p><p>"Well, it's nice to finally be able to care for them," he smiled rather wistfully. "It makes me think what it would be like to have children of my own some day." As he said it, he looked across at [Y/N] without meaning to, and blushed.</p><p>"I think about that too, sometimes," she admitted, watching the tiny waves of the stream wash over each other. She was unaware of Osferth's eyes on her, though she had him in mind as she spoke. "I wouldn't mind a son or a daughter of my own, to be honest. Or both, if I was lucky." [Y/N] smiled a little at the idea of it.</p><p>"Me neither," said Osferth, and [Y/N] finally turned to look at him. Their eyes met for only a moment or two before they looked away, their cheeks reddening. "Although I don't really know when-"</p><p>At that point, he was interrupted by Aelfwynn tugging on his sleeve. "I'm tired," she told him, and she certainly looked like it. Osferth scooped his little niece up into his arms, and she rested her head on his chest; within minutes she was fast asleep, and the sight warmed [Y/N's] heart.</p><p>"She's snoring again," Osferth smiled, "but she never believes me when I tell her that she does. She tells me I'm making it all up every time."</p><p>[Y/N] laughed. "Well, she's defending her honour, isn't she?" she joked, and he chuckled. "She'll be as great a lady as her mother one day, I know it."</p><p>"And I hope I'll be there to see it," Osferth said, "maybe with some children of my own." He looked down at the little girl in his arms as he spoke. It was clear he cared deeply for Aelfwynn, especially to [Y/N], who watched him hold her gently. [Y/N] had known she'd liked him for a while now, but seeing him caring for Aelfwynn like she was his own was incredibly sweet, and she smiled as she thought about what it would be like when he did have his own children.</p><p>"You will be, I'm sure," she said, and he met her gaze with a smile, the same smile she had grown to love.</p><p>"What about you?" he asked softly, and [Y/N] blushed.</p><p>"I'd love to," she answered quietly.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i just realised it formatted wrong so ive fixed it now :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. finan x oc</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Maeve's mother often told her that she was lucky to be friends with the young princes of the kingdom of Ulaid, and that she should never forget that. She was taught never to push her luck, and to restrain herself at all times. These lessons were royally influenced. Her mother worked as a maid to the queen, and her father was a warrior in the king's army. But Maeve was a girl of seventeen at the time, and she often disregarded these lessons. Her friendship with Ulaid's princes remained a strong one, though it had come about in a rather unique way. </p><p>Three years before, Maeve had been out buying food for their supper when a boy came hurtling into her out of nowhere, spilling all the things she had bought on to the ground. She was already irritated after having to bargain with one of the sellers over the ridiculous price of some carrots, so this tipped her over the edge.</p><p>"Would you watch where you're bloody going?" Maeve snapped at the boy, who already looked apologetic and was bending down to help her pick them up. </p><p>"Sorry, Lady," he said, "my brother and I were just messing around. I didn't mean to knock your things over." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he said so, lifting his cloak a little to reveal clothes finer than she had ever seen before. Clothes befitting the nobility, in fact. </p><p><em> "Lady," </em>she muttered, shaking her head. "I'm no lady, I'm hardly a woman! But you must be some ealdorman's son, so no wonder you're the way you are."</p><p>"What's that supposed to mean?" the boy asked, now standing up and slightly affronted. Maeve stood up immediately to face him.</p><p>"Needn't you worry, your Lordship," she said, and there was no mistaking the mocking tone in her voice. "I'll be on my way, then, if you don't mind." She made to walk away, but what the boy said next made her stop in her tracks.</p><p>"I'm no ealdorman's son," he told her, and this time there was a grin on his face. "If you must know, my name's Finan." </p><p>"As in… the king's oldest son?" Maeve said, completely caught off-guard. "The prince, Finan?" She was incredibly embarrassed at the thought of it, but more so at what her mother would say if she knew her daughter had snapped at the prince and made fun of him. </p><p>"The very same," Finan said, and the smug tone of his voice only served to infuriate Maeve even more. "My brother's over there, Conall he's called. If you've heard of him." This was a jab at Maeve - of <em> course </em>she had heard of the pair of them - one was the heir to the throne of Ulaid, for goodness' sake! Her face was burning at this point, and it was painfully obvious too - her cheeks had reddened and she could no longer meet his eye.</p><p>"Well, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding," she muttered. "Lord," she added as an afterthought. </p><p>"Don't worry about it," Finan shrugged. "Would you like to join us for a short while? My brother gets on my nerves sometimes and I could do with some company." Maeve laughed a little as his brother called out in protest, and decided to do as she was asked. He <em> was </em>the prince, after all, and he seemed nice enough. She kept this last thought to herself, however, not wanting to boost his ego further.</p><p>Maeve came to discover that both Finan and Conall were very good company, and they soon became friends. By the time she was seventeen, they were thick as thieves and often got into a lot of mischief, most of which Maeve would have been punished far more harshly for had she not had the protection of royalty. She would not trade their friendship for anything, but there was only one thing that constantly bothered her about it. The brothers would argue frequently, and often refused to speak to each other for days on end. It was usually up to Maeve to talk things out between them and get the boys to reconcile, and it was no easy feat.</p><p>However, the days that they seemed to like each other were just as frequent and these were the days that Maeve loved most, though she had to admit she preferred spending more time with Finan rather than Conall. At first she chalked it up to their ages being more similar, but soon she had to come to terms with the real reason why. </p><p>It hadn't escaped Maeve's notice that Finan was growing into a fine young man, but it was more than that. He was incredibly handsome, and was becoming the talk of the young ladies of the town. When she realised how that annoyed her, she began to understand why. Maeve had feelings for the crown prince, and as that realisation was made, those feelings grew intensely. What was there not to like? He was funny, <em> very </em>funny, and a bit of a charmer too, when he wanted to be. When he smiled, it reached his deep brown eyes, the kindest she had ever known, and his hair was always ruffled, no matter how hard the queen tried to flatten it each morning. </p><p>All of this scared Maeve more than anything. Her other friends would tell her this was simply an infatuation, something that was a part of growing up, and she would soon grow out of it. It wasn't as though she was the only one, either; most of the girls her age couldn't take their eyes away from him whenever he passed by. But what if this <em> wasn't </em>an infatuation? What if she truly had feelings for him, and not just the hormonal kind? The king would never allow his heir to marry a commoner with no connections or alliances to her name. More importantly, she highly doubted Finan himself thought of her as anything more than a good friend, and these two thoughts caused her to force her feelings down and ignore them.</p><p>What she could not know was that Finan was also beginning to see her as more than that. In his eyes, she was the prettiest girl in town, as well as the wittiest and the smartest. He found it difficult to take his eyes away from her at any given moment, and only looked away when she turned to look at him. Even then, he would often meet her gaze and hold it for as long as he would dare. Those few seconds were perhaps the most content he had ever felt. Her eyes were as green as the emeralds that rested in the crown that one day would become his, and he regarded her just as priceless. He couldn't begin to count the freckles that dotted her face, but it wasn't for lack of trying.</p><p>After another one of the brothers' arguments, Maeve sat with Finan on the edge of a cliff, both of them swinging their legs. It was unbelievably dangerous, but they loved the thrill of it. This was where they would go after another row, to cheer each other up, before she would leave to speak to young Conall. Finan decided to poke some fun at Maeve.</p><p>"Wonder how long it'd take if I connected all those dots on your face with ink," he said, poking her cheek. Maeve slapped his hand off.</p><p>"As if I'd let you anywhere near it," she said, rolling her eyes, though her stomach was doing backflips. "And they're called <em> freckles, </em>you brainless toad." Insulting him was one of her favourite pastimes, even if she didn't really believe any of her words held any meaning. He never took them seriously anyways.</p><p>"I knew that," he smiled, his gaze lingering on her face as she turned away to watch the waves crash onto the shore down below. The wind blew her hair into his face several times, but he did nothing to move it. Maeve had lovely hair, he thought, it was long and curly, almost black, he reckoned, and he longed to run his fingers through it sometime, braid it even. He thought of Maeve teaching him how to braid hair the year before after he had asked her to, and smiled at the memory. </p><p>One morning, Maeve set out as usual to meet the two princes at the barn near her home. When she got there it was empty, but she rolled her eyes and figured they would probably be a little late. That was usually the case. She waited an hour, and then two, before she decided to head down to the palace to see where they were. Either Finan or Conall would have told her if they were not going to be there that morning because they had royal matters that needed attending, so this unexplained disappearance was unnatural. </p><p>When Maeve arrived at the palace courtyard, she found that a big crowd was gathering. Near the front of it was her mother, so she pushed through to stand beside her. Her mother hushed her as they watched the scene unfolding in front of them. </p><p>"You will not repent for the things you have done?" the king asked in a dangerous voice. Maeve's eyes travelled to see who he was addressing, and her heart dropped when she saw that it was Finan. He was stood facing the king, breathing heavily with anger.</p><p>"Never, Lord King," he said quietly. "I stand by what I did."</p><p>An uncomfortable silence engulfed the courtyard, before the king finally looked up again. "Get out," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. There was no response from Finan. "I said get <em> out!" </em>he roared, making Maeve and the rest of the townspeople visibly jump. Finan did not move a muscle, however. "You are no longer welcome in this kingdom. I hereby exile you, Finan of Ulaid, and you are never to return in my lifetime on pain of death. Do you understand?" </p><p>Maeve watched in horror as Finan nodded. "Yes," he said in a steely voice. His omitting of the word <em> Lord </em>was noticed by everyone, including his father, who was incensed. </p><p>"And anyone who wishes to join this man in leaving Ulaid is forbidden from returning on these same conditions!" the king shouted. "I shall say no more on the matter." As he turned around to leave, the crowd began to disperse, talking amongst themselves. They seemed to know why Finan was being exiled, though a heartbroken Maeve did not. Finally, it was just the two of them in the courtyard, after her mother whispered that she would be waiting at home for her.</p><p>"What happened, Finan?" she asked, her voice cracking. "What did you do that… that angered them so much?" She took a deep breath and willed herself not to cry.</p><p>"I had an argument with Conall," he sighed, "and he… he hit a new low. That bastard insulted my mother. She was queen before she died and my father remarried, and had Conall. She was and always will be a queen in my eyes, so for him to say what he said…" At this point he was seething with anger. "I punched him. I punched the bleeding, living <em> daylights </em>out of him and I swear to God I would do it again."</p><p>"How is he?" Maeve whispered, terrified to hear what he said.</p><p>"He fell unconscious," Finan spat, "as quickly as  possible. The little bastard runt. I kept hitting him until they pulled me away. God knows if he's dead or not. If he is, I couldn't care less."</p><p>"Don't say that," Maeve pleaded. "Please don't say that. He's your <em> brother, </em>Finan. Remember? Remember all the good times the three of us had together, all the mischief we'd get up to and the jokes we'd play on people? And he can't be dead, I know it. The king would have outright accused you of murder if he was dead, and he hasn't said anything about it."</p><p>"It doesn't matter," Finan said bitterly. "I can't come back. It's all over, Maeve. It won't be the same anymore and we both know it. You've got two choices. You can stay here with Conall or you can come with me. We can leave together, start all over again… or you can tend to my dear brother's wounds at home."</p><p>Despite her sorrow, Maeve was furious. "That's not fair, Finan! You can't do this to me, you know I care for you both the same! I have had to sort out every single row the pair of you have had for three years now, and I did it without a complaint because I <em> care </em> for you two idiots! This isn't something I can help you with, this is too big for me and I hate it so <em> much. </em> You think I <em> want </em> to see you go? I don't, I want you to stay but I know you can't. And I can't leave with you, Finan. If I go, there's no return. It's more than Conall. I have a family here, a <em> life </em> here. Ulaid is my home, I can't leave when everything I've ever known is here! Please, don't do this to me, Finan, <em> please </em>. It's not fair."</p><p>Finan sighed. "I'm sorry, Maeve," he said after a moment. "I didn't think about it, I… I don't know. It's just that I don't know how I'm going to do this alone, without you by my side as the greatest friend any ex-prince could ask for." </p><p>Maeve laughed a little, though her vision was blurred by tears. "You were everything I could ask for in a friend," she told him, swallowing the painful lump in her throat. "I'm going to miss you so much, you reckless bastard." She hugged him tightly, and he held on just as tight, neither of them ever wanting to let go. She only stood back as they saw a guard leading the horse that would take Finan away from Ulaid and out of her life forever. </p><p>"Goodbye, Maeve," Finan said, roughly wiping away his own tears. "I swear I'll never forget you and everything you've done for me." He mounted his horse, and with one final, lingering look at her, he turned and rode out of the gates. It was the last Maeve would ever see of him for a long time, and she fell to the ground and sobbed. She wished she had told him how she truly felt, how his face was sometimes the only thing that could get her through a particularly tough day, but it had all been snatched away from her. Finan was gone, never to return home again.</p><p>                   --------------------------------------------------</p><p>Several years had passed since Finan's exile, and Maeve had had no word of his whereabouts since the day he left. Though her heart had grown heavier with each day that passed, she learned to live without him. That didn't take away any of the pain she felt; the first few weeks after his exile were some of the worst Maeve had ever suffered in her lifetime. Without the support of her family, she knew she would have collapsed completely, but with it she slowly returned to her former self, even if it took a long time. </p><p>Maeve was now a young woman, but her taste for adventure and mischief never left her, though she learned to control it a little better. Her mother had  told her of some cousins that had moved to Winchester some years ago, when Maeve was a small child, and Maeve had immediately begged to visit them. Winchester was very far away, yes, but it would be the most exciting adventure yet. She had never before left Ulaid, and it would be a chance for her to see what else was out there in the world. After a <em> lot </em>of pleading, Maeve's mother reluctantly allowed her to go. Their goodbye was tearful, and it would be months before they would see each other again, but it would all be worth it.</p><p>The journey was difficult and fraught with danger - there were many instances where Maeve's life was threatened both directly and indirectly, but she finally managed to make it safely to Winchester after a long period of travel. It had exhausted Maeve, so she headed to the nearest tavern with the money she had left and asked for a room to spend the night and a drink, resolving to track down her cousins the next day. As she sat at the closest empty table, she lowered her hood, shook out her hair and waited for her drink.</p><p>Finan had come a long way since his days as an exiled prince. He had had a lifetime of experiences in the years since he had left Ulaid, first as a slave on a slave ship, where he had met Uhtred of Bebbanburg, and then became one of his most trusted warriors and friends upon being freed. Together with Sihtric and Osferth, they were a close-knit group of friends, more like a band of brothers. That day, he was sitting down, drinking ale with them and laughing at the stories from their first travels together when he noticed a familiar shock of dark hair from the table in front of him… except it couldn't be <em> her, </em>could it? How could it be? She had told him she could never leave Ulaid and her family, especially not when his father was still alive. But he was dead now, and Conall had reigned for years, so there was hope yet.</p><p>The only one to immediately notice his suddenly quiet demeanour was Osferth, who nudged him. "Finan, are you all right?" he asked, slightly concerned. Finan sighed.</p><p>"I'm gonna try something," he told Osferth, who remained confused. "Just - <em> Maeve!" </em> He didn't know where the courage to shout her name to a girl who was probably not even her in the first place had come from, but he was soon rewarded for it.</p><p>Maeve thought she heard a voice yelling her name from behind, but hesitated a little. <em> It couldn't be him… could it? </em>It was supposed to be impossible. How had she managed to find him so far away from home? Of course, it could just be wishful thinking, but that voice was so distinct it had to be real. Nobody else in this tavern could have the Irish brogue that Finan had. She turned around and her eyes widened.</p><p>"Finan?" </p><p>Neither of them could believe their luck, each staring at the other in disbelief. Though both of them had certainly grown, it was unmistakable. While Finan remained glued to his seat in shock, Maeve stood up at once and walked over to meet him, her eyes welling up with tears in spite of her efforts not to cry. "You're all grown up," she said finally, and both of them laughed. He stood up and smiled, before they hugged each other tightly, making up for the years they had lost together.</p><p>"I never once forgot you," he promised her, his gaze never once leaving her face. "You were the greatest friend I could have ever asked for, and I wish I had told you just how much I bloody appreciated you being there for me and my idiot brother when we'd argue and get angry, and how you were the only one that could calm me down -" </p><p>"Don't worry," Maeve smiled, squeezing his hand. "I know. I never forgot you either. Y'know, I appreciated you too, from the time you helped me pick all those stupid things up when you bumped into me the first time around, even if I thought you were an annoyingly smug bastard at first."</p><p>"Ah, <em> that </em> bit of him never changed, then," Sihtric quipped, eliciting a laugh from Maeve. Finan took the opportunity to introduce all of them to her. They all knew of Maeve and the story between them - it was something Finan spoke of many times, both on the slave ship with Uhtred and afterwards, but Maeve herself had a lot of catching up to do regarding Finan.</p><p>A few hours later, they were all slightly drunk and laughing together, and Maeve felt like she was at home with these men, who seemed to have accepted her as one of their own already. She found herself sneaking more and more glances at Finan as the afternoon progressed into the evening, only to find him looking back most of the time. She would immediately look away, her face burning, but nobody noticed - or so she thought.</p><p>Contrary to what the others believed, Osferth had not had as much to drink as perhaps Sihtric had, and quickly noticed the looks that Maeve and Finan shared over the table. A grin spread across his face as he quietly nudged Sihtric and whispered his suspicions in his ear. Unfortunately, Sihtric was too drunk to be tactful and started laughing. "Finan, is there anything you're hiding from us?" he said loudly, throwing an arm around his friend. "Your, uh, <em> love </em>for someone, perhaps?"</p><p>"You're drunk, you silly bastard," Finan laughed, although his eyes betrayed him. <em> How had they been so quick to notice? </em>Maeve was still as beautiful and funny and vivacious as she had been when they were seventeen, and he realised then that he was still in love with her, and had never stopped loving her the whole time. He had simply been distracted.</p><p>"What about you, Maeve?" Osferth said, causing her to blush somewhat.</p><p>"What about me?" she asked sharply, setting her ale down. She could hear Sihtric snickering faintly in the background and resisted the urge to lean over and smack his head with his mug of ale. </p><p>Osferth shrugged. "I think you know," he said rather enigmatically, and took a sip of his drink, which did nothing to hide the smirk on his face. The whack on his head that followed came as a surprise to no one but him.</p><p>"I don't," she said, and took a sip of her ale, mimicking him. However, she did know exactly what he was talking about, and it mortified her to know that by now everybody could tell that she still had feelings for the Irishman. </p><p>Osferth nudged Sihtric again, still ruefully rubbing his head, and motioned for them to leave for a little while. Sihtric surprisingly took the hint and stood up, downing the rest of his ale in one. "I'm going home," he announced, stumbling a little as Osferth steadied him. "I'll meet you two outside here tomorrow with the baby monk, alright?" He grinned at them both and left with Osferth, who was rolling his eyes to the heavens.</p><p>This left just Maeve and Finan at the table. </p><p>"I might as well tell you the truth," Finan said after a long pause. Maeve looked at him curiously. "Look… I haven't stopped thinking about you once since I was exiled. I loved you in Ulaid and I love you now, Maeve, honest to God. You were the only woman I ever had any feelings for." He forced himself to meet her eyes, and felt a jolt in his stomach to see her looking right back at him with a smile he had missed seeing for so long.</p><p>"Really?" she asked, hardly able to believe what she was hearing. But the look in his eyes was so earnest he must be telling the truth; she had never known him for a liar. "Then I suppose it'd be the right time to tell you."</p><p>"Tell me what?"</p><p>Maeve took a deep breath before she answered him. "That I love you too," she said softly, "that you were the first boy I'd ever held feelings for and that I never, never forgot about you once in all that time. And I didn't tell you because… because I thought it could never be, you being a prince and me being nothing but a village girl."</p><p>"You meant more to me than just a village girl," Finan told her, taking her hand. "You were there for me the way nobody else was, you knew all of my secrets and you kept them and you never once judged me. You helped me, Maeve. And now we can finally put our past behind us."</p><p>"I know," she said simply.  "And I'm glad for that."</p><p>When he kissed her, she felt as though she was finally complete.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this ended up being a lot longer than usual ajdhjfhf</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. sihtric x oc</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Every battle was different, Aella thought, until it was the same. Whether they won or lost, there would always be injured men she needed to attend to, and their pain was often difficult for her to handle. She was not always successful in healing them, and those times were the worst. All she could do at that point was try to ease their pain and comfort them in their final moments as they wept for their mothers and breathed their last, but the only thing that made it all even slightly bearable was that she did not know any of the men personally.</p><p>That was, of course, until Aella saw Sihtric being carried into a tent, seemingly unresponsive.</p><p>Her heart dropped at the same time the things in her hands did, and she rushed into the tent after him. To her relief, he was still awake, but his face was contorted in pain. She hurried to his side and removed his armour and tunic as fast as her trembling fingers would allow her to, revealing a deep gash in his side. There was blood everywhere. The sight frightened Aella for a moment, before she took a deep breath, allowing her healing instincts to override her fear, and she quickly reached for bandages, needles and thread, the lot.</p><p>“Will he be all right?” Osferth asked nervously. His face had gone pale, and Finan had an arm around him, both looking incredibly worried.</p><p>“Yes, I-I think he will be,” Aella said shakily, more to comfort herself as she worked. “Could you both leave us for a little? I’ll come and see you once I’m done-”</p><p>“‘Course,” said Finan immediately, and patted Osferth’s back. “Come on.” The pair of them left, though Aella hardly noticed, her attention now focused solely on Sihtric’s wound. She was finding it difficult to stem the bleeding, having to control her breathing at the same time as she tried not to let her fear hinder her actions. <em>He’ll be fine,</em> she repeated in her mind, <em>he’ll recover.</em></p><p>“How bad is it?” Sihtric asked suddenly, causing Aella to flinch. Her heart was pounding in her chest once again, as it was prone to do whenever he spoke to her. He had lifted his head only for a second to speak, but it proved to be too much for him, for he immediately sank his head back down and let out a ragged breath.</p><p>“Not too bad,” Aella responded, training her eyes on his wound as she finally managed to stem the flow of blood, and smiled a little, before cleaning it. Next she threaded a needle. “You’ll be fine eventually, but it <em>will</em> ache for a while after I’ve stitched you up.”</p><p>“Well, I’ll take that over this any day,” Sihtric said, wincing as the needle pricked his skin. Aella chuckled. She admired how brave he was in the face of such pain, because that gash certainly was deep, and wondered how he was able to restrain himself from crying out or indeed from making any noise at all. If it had been her in Sihtric’s position, she knew she wouldn’t have lasted this long. As soon as she was convinced that he was not in any immediate danger from his wound, she allowed herself to relax a little as she continued stitching it up.</p><p>Sihtric’s pain seemed to have subsided a little, as his breathing steadied, and he became aware of Aella’s free hand resting on his chest, only moving very slightly every minute or so. The corners of his lips turned up as he watched her work. Her brow was furrowed in complete concentration and she hardly moved, apart from her skilled hands. A stray curl of hair fell into her eyes, and it amused him to see her irritatedly blow at it out of the corner of her mouth, only for it to fall back into her eyes. Almost without thinking, he lifted his hand and brushed it away from her face.</p><p>Aella felt her cheeks redden as she realised what Sihtric was doing, even more so when her gaze fell upon his face, his smile sending butterflies fluttering in her stomach. He was always capable of doing that to her, even now, as she tended to his injury. “Thank you,” she said, her voice little more than a whisper. Her hands stilled for a moment when he met her eye, and her heart was thundering so loud she was half-worried he’d be able to hear it. The sensation she felt when she was around Sihtric was nothing new to her, but only more intense - she had never been alone with him for so long, let alone in such close proximity, and Aella cursed how hot her face was growing.</p><p>“It’s all right,” Sihtric said, lowering his hand as slowly as he dared. His fingers momentarily brushed Aella’s cheek - which was no accident - before they fell to rest at his uninjured side once more. He had felt just how warm her cheek was, and smirked slightly. It certainly was not that hot inside the tent, and they both knew it. Privately, he thought she was incredibly pretty when she was embarrassed - her cheeks had grown pink and she had a shy smile on her face, unable to keep looking into his eyes for more than a few seconds at a time, and her gaze had dropped back to his wound. “Are you almost finished?” he asked her as she tied off the stitch.</p><p>Aella wiped her forehead and let out a breath. “I only need to bandage you up and then you’re done,” she told him, feeling suddenly disappointed. Sihtric sighed a little, though his disappointment was not as clear. “Can you sit up for me?” Aella asked him. He was able to lift himself up about an inch before falling back down, grimacing. Immediately, she put an arm under his back and put his arm around her shoulder, lifting him up slowly, careful not to tear the stitches. Sihtric’s breathing quickened as he felt a shoot of pain in his side, and sighed with relief as soon as Aella steadied him.</p><p>With the roll tightly clasped in one hand, she began to bandage his abdomen. It took a long time for Aella to completely cover the wound, as large as it was, but she found it even harder to focus on the task at hand rather than his bare chest. He was certainly muscular, she had always assumed that, but without a shirt on, it was so much more obvious. That, coupled with the feeling of his breath on her neck as she worked, made it incredibly difficult to concentrate, and she fought to steady her own breathing at the same time. None of this went unnoticed by Sihtric, unbeknownst to Aella.</p><p>After a while, Aella finally straightened up, now done checking that the bandages were staying in place. When she met Sihtric’s eye again, the persistent smile on his face sent her stomach into backflips, and she didn’t hide the smile spreading across her own face. “You need to rest,” Aella told him quietly, and he allowed her to lower him down onto his back.</p><p>She got up, and he wondered for a moment if she was leaving him - he smiled broadly when she returned seconds later with a damp cloth and sat down, pushing his hair away from his forehead to wipe away the beads of sweat that had formed on his face. The sudden coolness was welcome to him, but more so was the warmth of Aella’s smile.</p><p>She reached across him to put the cloth down once she was finished. As she withdrew, Sihtric caught her hand, his own heart beating furiously. Aella paused what she was doing and met his eye, finding herself unable to look away. They gazed at each other for what felt like an eternity, before Sihtric’s free hand reached up to cup her face, as he drew her in and finally kissed her. The first kiss was short and sweet, and long overdue. Aella leaned down and kissed him again, the kiss growing more fiery and passionate. It was Sihtric who had to pull away first, his breathing shallow as his hand travelled down from her face to her neck-</p><p>“Aella, is he all ri- <em>oh,”</em> they heard Finan call from the tent’s entrance. The concern on his face was quickly replaced by a grin. “So he’s all right, then?”</p><p><em>That damned Irishman,</em> Aella thought as she turned away in embarrassment. Sihtric rolled his eyes as Finan laughed and walked out, presumably to tell everyone and their mother what he had just seen.</p><p>“Well, if this is what it takes, maybe getting injured isn’t so bad,” Sihtric smiled. “Minus Finan’s little interruption, of course.” Aella pressed a kiss to his cheek and chuckled.</p><p>“Don’t you go thinking like that next time,” she warned him, “you might not be so lucky either way.” But when he pulled her down for another kiss, she didn’t object.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. the river || osferth x oc</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>At first, Nairna had expected to travel alongside these men for company and fight when she needed to, for a short while and then go her own way, as she was often accustomed to doing, but fate clearly had other plans. A month or two was all she had planned, but after a year, these men were far more than travel companions to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had taken her in as one of her own very quickly. She had sworn loyalty to their leader, the lord Uhtred, for whom she had a great deal of respect, and befriended the other three men soon afterwards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her and Finan had taken to each other almost immediately, Nairna being Scottish and him Irish. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Neighbours </span>
  </em>
  <span>had been what Finan had referred to the two of them as, though by now they may well have been siblings. They got along very well, making light-hearted digs at each other the way siblings would. She had a quick word for everything he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're just like him," Uhtred would say, a hint of a smile on his face, "except you're a woman."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And prettier," she grinned, sticking her tongue out at Finan, who gave a mock-offended gasp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You wound me!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nairna had found Sihtric to be far more quiet and reserved than the rest, though he had accepted her almost immediately. He was one of the greatest friends she could have asked for, someone willing to sit down and talk whenever she needed to, or simply just to sit in silence with for a while. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then there was Osferth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hadn't noticed him at first, his horse being behind the other three, but on that first journey he had sped up to meet her and introduce himself, catching her by surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you a monk?" she asked rather bluntly, taking in his haircut and the robes he was wearing. She frowned at the breastplate and chainmail on top, wondering what his story was. Whatever it was, she was interested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, lady," he responded politely, only meeting her eye for a few moments before his gaze dropped to his hands again. "I was raised in a monastery most of my life but I wanted to be a warrior instead, like my uncle Leofric was, so I joined Lord Uhtred."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nairna hummed. "So you're a warrior-monk instead, then," she amended, "right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of sorts, lady, yes," he smiled, and Nairna found herself smiling along with him. He was rather sweet, she thought, and she began to like him almost immediately. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can just call me Nairna, y'know," she reminded him soon after. "I'm no lady."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright, Nairna," he said rather tentatively, as though he was testing out the sound of her name, and smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A year on, she was close with all of the men but especially him. She wasn't sure what it was exactly that made her seek out his company more often than the others. Perhaps it was the calm security she felt whenever she sat beside him and talked about anything at all, or maybe it was the genuine warmth of his smile that could always bring one to her own face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever it was, she liked being by his side, and while the other three had picked up on this, they decided not to say anything to either of them about what they thought of this. Not yet, anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One particularly hot day, she was stretched out by the river bank while the other men took their horses to one side to drink. Osferth had offered to take Nairna's horse along with his, noticing how exhausted she looked, and rather gratefully she relented.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was not even a breeze that day, and the hot sun was beating down on her until she huffed and stripped off her armour, leaving her in her linen undershirt and trousers. The water looked shallow, and she didn't mind getting her clothes wet too much, so she slipped into the water to wash.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nairna shivered at the cold sensation of the water as it submerged her up to her waist, before she splashed some on to her arms and her face to get used to it. She was well aware that she couldn't swim, but the river was almost completely still, so she allowed herself to relax.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hummed a tune as she washed her hair, the area quiet but for the sounds of leaves rustling and the men chatting in the distance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly and without warning, the current rapidly began to quicken, causing Nairna to lose her footing. As it grew faster, she was mustering everything within her to try and remain above the water, but soon found herself weakening as the force of the current increased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She started to panic, trying to reach the edge of the bank and grab on to it, but she was being swept too far to be able to reach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Help!" she gasped, fighting to keep her head above the water. "Someone, please!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The effort soon became too much and Nairna was swept underwater, her outstretched hand breaking the water's surface as she desperately tried to signal for help. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was feeling more hopeless by the minute as her consciousness faded. Her hand slipped under the water, until miraculously another hand grabbed it and pulled her forward, and an arm hooked under her shoulder and managed to pull her above the surface. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Finan, Sihtric!" she dimly heard a voice yelling, before her world faded to black.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Nairna finally came to, she found herself lying down, her head resting in Osferth's lap. She started coughing without meaning to, weakly sitting up and immediately being hit with a wave of nausea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're awake!" he said, and patted Nairna's back while she coughed. "How are you feeling?" he asked once she was finished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sick," she muttered, settling back with a sigh. She did look rather pale, and she realised then that she was shivering. Her clothes had started to dry in the sun, but despite the heat were still cold against her skin. "I was only going to bathe," Nairna added rather huffily, "the water didn't seem so deep. Then it decided to have a go at bloody drowning me!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Osferth laughed and put his arm around her, drawing her close to him. "I'll warm you up," he told Nairna, rubbing her arm, and she gratefully settled her head on his shoulder, her hand resting on his chest. "Do you not know how to swim, then?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No," she sighed. "I never learned how to."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maybe one day I can teach you," he smiled, and she chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That would be nice, I think," she said. "As long as you don't chuck me headfirst into the river and go </span>
  <em>
    <span>'swim.' "</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"You'd kill me if I ever did that," he laughed. "I wouldn't do that, don't worry, Nairna."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She said nothing, but smiled at the way he said her name. She quite liked the sound of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that moment, Finan came over, with Sihtric following close behind. "You alright there, Nairna?" he asked her. "We were seriously worried when we pulled you out the river."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm alright," Nairna replied, turning her head to face him but other than that, hardly moving from the position she was in. From the grin spreading across Finan's face, she knew what he was thinking, but was too tired to dispel those thoughts. He wasn't completely mistaken, however. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>grown to like the man holding her... more than that even. She liked every aspect of him, from his gentle nature down to the kindness he always showed her, even on the days when she was being a little more difficult than usual.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good," was all Finan said in reply, snapping her out of her thoughts, but now, she saw, he was looking at Osferth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Shut up, Finan," he said, before Finan could even say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?" Finan said defensively, putting his hands up. "I didn't say </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything, </span>
  </em>
  <span>baby monk."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, it's obvious what you were thinking," Sihtric supplied, a small smirk emerging on his own face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And what was that, then?" Finan retorted, still unable to keep a straight face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That our baby monk fancies Nairna," Sihtric finished, leaning back against the tree with a smug look on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well? Is it true?" Finan asked, folding his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nairna's eyes widened at this. She had never thought even once that he had liked her as anything more than just a friend… though Finan and Sihtric may well have just been teasing. However, both of them were looking expectantly at Osferth, so she supposed she would find out either way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look, she's only just woken up, can't we leave it for a bit?" he asked them, clearly growing uncomfortable under the weight of their stares.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course we can," Sihtric said quickly, cutting over Finan. "Come on, let's find Lord Uhtred. He should be here soon."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fine," Finan said, sighing exaggeratedly as he got up. "Try not to jump in any more rivers while we're gone, eh?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naina grinned. "I'll try not to," she told him, lifting her hand as the pair of them left. She turned back to Osferth with a little smile. "I'm sure they're just teasing you," she said, stifling a yawn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's the thing, Nairna," he said quietly. "They're not exactly… well, lying."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What d'you mean?" Nairna asked, her heart beginning to pound in her chest as she sat up and looked at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I really like you, Nairna," he began, his gaze fixed on his hands, which were fidgeting nervously in his lap. "Well, I-I've liked you since we first met, 'course I have, but I mean… you, y'know, you're funny and you're an amazing warrior, you've always been really lovely to me, and… you're really- really beautiful, too," he finished shyly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nairna was unable to say anything for a moment, simply staring at him in complete shock before she remembered to speak. "Really?" was all she managed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he nodded, a smile began to blossom on Nairna's face, which caught him by surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then, I like you too," she told him, leaning up to press a small kiss to his cheek. It was impossible to tell who was blushing more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You mean-?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Nairna finished for him, laughing a little. "I do. I like you a lot, Osferth. Granted, at first I was a bit confused about you, but I've always thought you were the sweetest person I'd ever met.  Plus, I've- y'know, I've been able to watch you grow into a fighter and a man, too. I wouldn't trade this for anything, really."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then, can I kiss you, Nairna?" he asked softly, meeting her gaze with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"'Course you can."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tilted her chin up and gently kissed her, and Nairna felt like everything had finally fallen into place, the part of her that she had never known was missing was there, finally there. He pulled away soon after, trying to see what her reaction would be, and was swiftly met by Nairna with a second, more passionate kiss, her hand resting on his cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they finally had to pull away for air, it was with uncontrollable smiles on their faces. Nairna had almost forgotten how damp her clothes and hair still were, and she laughed as she realised. "I must look terrible," she said, still a little breathless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, you… you're an angel," Osferth said softly, still transfixed, and she blushed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Even when I've just been dunked in the river?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Even when you've just been dunked in the river," he replied, and they both started laughing, before he pulled her in for another kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later that evening, as Nairna sat curled up into his side, she started thinking about her future. Wherever her path would lead, she thought, she knew it would be intertwined with Osferth's.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i finally updated again lmaooo (expect a few more osferth ones soon, baby deserves more love)</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank u sm for reading! :D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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